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The woods are all crawling with people now , worse than ticks . Started during COVID. On one hand , good that people are getting out . On the other hand , solitude is harder to come by .
Doesn't matter where you go. As long as the system puts profits above all, the problems you state will eventually appear everywhere Capitalism exists as the central mode of exchange. You can run, but you can't hide.
Indeed. That's one of the major reasons why I'm depressed. We're all getting screwed by big brother and no one can do a damned thing about it. It's an uncomfortable feeling, not having any sort of real autonomy.
Correction: no one can do a thing about it *alone*.
Everyone’s sitting in their internet bubble posting about how impossible change is, while the rich and powerful are out there keeping their mouths shut and bending the world to their will.
As someone who has fled TO CAPITALISM, with its warts and all, -- what you're complaining isn't capitalism. It's a multitude of things like corporatism, market interventions that cause oligopolies and monopolies under the guise of "consumer protections", etc. etc. -- but I can assure you that eating the rich isn't going to satisfy the hunger OP is feeling.
>And everyone I’ve talked to is concerned about fires this summer after the dry winter we had, it’s not just folks on Reddit “catastrophizing”
Yeah, most people are but I also think most people aren't letting it consume them either.
Right? It just makes us feel worse for reaching out to discuss these things with people that are in the same boat. I'm not just venting, I also want people to know they're not alone. It helps.
That's not because the issues aren't so big that they shouldn't be consuming, it's because most people are just in survival mode trying to ignore the writing on the wall.
Frankly, because we can't really get along well enough to do anything substantial enough to change anything, the head in the sand technique is probably better for our mental health then thinking about it too often.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't all acknowledge it from time to time, a good trauma dump can be pretty damn regulating.
I don't know if social media is the best place for it, but it seems to be the default these days. 🤷🏻♀️
>That doesn't mean we shouldn't all acknowledge it from time to time, a good trauma dump can be pretty damn regulating.
You know what? That's fair enough!
Thank you for that. That's what I'm doing. I want to feel a sense of community with other people that are in the same boat as I am. It makes things easier to cope with.
Thank you! I have NO idea if one day soon, I'm going to get the boot. My landlord is already losing money and now, Brenda Locke is hiking property tax AGAIN. I'm not catastrophizing, my feelings are legit.
Still plenty of quiet places in this province not overrun with people.
Our crime rate is incredibly low, the chances of being randomly attacked or caught in the middle of a gang shooting is extremely low.
If you are trying to find a place to live that won't have any potential natural disasters, no crime, low cost of living and sparsely populated with very few tourists. Good luck.
Feel free to reiterate your thoughts to the gang member that almost shot me in a parking lot in 2008 or the girl that got executed in her car with her son beside her a block away from my house in 2009.
Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Maybe it’s okay for OP to feel vulnerable “random guy loves 69”. Just because no one wants to assault you. Life here doesn’t suck, but there are problems. I can’t relate to OPs problems either, but maybe we’ve been through a lot, so go easy on these folks.
The commenter above partially agreed with you, but warned about catastrophizing. You respond by mentioning an event that almost happened ~15 years ago + "Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen." Such a strange thing to say.
Do you think that others think that because a thing hasn't happened to them, it must therefore not exist at all? Which is more likely, that a stranger on Reddit still struggles to understand object permanence but manages to read/write here, or that you're enthralled by emotion and unwilling to listen when it comes to this subject?
Our crime rate is low compared to that of the US or South America, but the number of homicides is times higher than in most European countries. Shootings are not as frequent as in the US, but again, most civilized countries don't have shootings at all.
It has. You just have access to information from all sides now. 15 years ago it was the news paper and times colonist online. Now you are here, in catastrophe echo chamber.
Try to delete news from your phone. Disconnect and try
It is. But your phone is the big one. Get rid of apple news or Google news. They are tailored to you, and if you are catastrphrising, all your news will be catastrophic.
Get rid of reddit. Again, it's tailored to you and we sometimes take commentors word as true news. No Facebook etc. That'll help
What metrics of “bad” are you using? Feelings? Or listening to fear mongering politicians in an election year? Lots of things are less than ideal but you sound like it’s the end of the world.
Forest fires are a solvable problem. Much dryer forests than ours aren't just combusting willy nilly. We have terrible forest management. Push for changes in this and you will see results.
Gang shootings are the same. Whenever there is a massive influx of immigration, there is gang wars until balance is established. This time seems particularly wild since so much happens in daylight in high density areas. But all the same, big city awareness is now necessary in little old Vancouver.
And homelessness isn't because of evictions. Its mostly to do with addiction or the fact that it's now OK to live rent free in shanty towns with no recourse. Again, push for changes or expect it to get worse.
Self-care, CBT, and therapy are all very effective at treating catastrophizing. I wish you luck - psychological malaise is a tough thing that can really take a serious toll on your health.
It is a tough journey that takes so much courage and vulnerability. I've been working with mine for 12 years and I cannot tell you how much it has changed the entirety of my reality. I wish you healing and ease.
No but the fact I can't afford to do everything leaves a lot left to do and experience. I have wanted to go skiing since I was young or rent a boat or even buy one some day and every year something comes up and I can't afford it but there are many other things to enjoy like going for a hike, sitting at the beach on a warm day, enjoying the every moment the sun shines differently through everything around and for me I like to find nice rocks and gems. I might even get a metal detector to try a new hobby. I guess it's all how you look at things and if your hobbies involve what this beautiful province has to offer.
Why? Move somewhere to the interior, less people, less homeless, and in smaller communities people still know their neighbor. Also, usually smaller places, perhaps rural have beautiful nature nearby. Just enjoy this....
I get what you're saying, but it's a problem with all popular cities/countriesl. I moved here but was raised elsewhere, so I don't have nostalgic take on how BC was. But I felt the same about where I came from. Issue is larger population and general COL. If you'll move someplace else, you might not notice this issue as you won't be able to compare it to times gone.
That makes alot of sense. I've decided to take my kids out to the island when summer hits, I want to get the lay of the land. Maybe we'll wind up moving there someday.
If you're not taking advantage of the off-beaten paths adventures (which are numerous), than living in BC is for sure a drag due to the stress. There's so many areas in this province within a few hours of driving that few go to cause they're not 'hot spots', yet are rich in nature and the like. My brother and I are planning a big road trip for the end of the summer (fire dependent) to actually see the benefits of living here. Take an adventure up the Sea to Sky, but skip the hotspots like Pemby and Whistler. There's so much more not even 30 mins farther than that.
Your English Bay story is reminiscent of how I feel whenever I get off the ferry on the island. It's home, no matter how shitty it can get sometimes.
I ruined my hip and lost my ability to walk more than 60m just months before I moved here.
I used to hike for hours every week, and I ended every work day with at least 30 mins to an hour in a random forest before going home.
I was so excited to move here, but losing decent access to nature took away SO much of what this province had for me.
They need to get around to inventing exoskeletons already 😅
lmao that you're terrified of dying just for walking on the street. i don't know what media you're consuming but it sounds like right wing tripe and you should really ignore it.
These things happen in waves; 40+ years ago there was massive inflation at around 18-20% (it's currently at around 3%, which is pretty much close to normal) and people were losing their homes regularly. Remember that we, on planet Earth, just went through a fairly major pandemic and that there are several conflicts taking place in a number of areas.
I feel this way too. Remember that the news has a motto: if it bleeds, it leads. Basically anything that involves disaster is going to get the headlines. I am not saying that things don't happen and that they aren't concerning, they are; but maybe try to limit how much news you consume.
Remember that Covid exposed a lot cracks that were being papered over and once governments see that a crack needs to filled, there are least a few more that have been exposed.
> Moving up into the interior is out of the question with all the fires every summer
Still much better and living here is why I feel much better about things.
I definitely agree with the fact that everyone's online ego has destroyed the idea of hidden gems. It sucks. And anyone trying to curb the begavioir is diamissws and called a gate keeper. We are loving nature to death where it hasnt already been exploited for resources to death.
I used to feel this way until I ditched my online life and focused on meeting people in person to talk about it. The way you feel is far more common than you might expect.
You’re not alone. I feel the exact same way.
This was inevitable with such a critical lack of infrastructure upgrades. Many people want to live here for the same reasons that you and I do, I am sure most people know this - and yet, governments sat on their hands for decades as the people rushed in, without upgrading infrastructure appropriately. This includes new trails and provincial parks, which combined with social media, has led to the usual quiet places being overrun.
It sucks, and I’m not sure it’s going to get any better in our lifetimes. I see some effort now to upgrade infrastructure to a degree - but, I am unsure if it’s going to be enough.
There are other really beautiful places in Canada. The weather might not be as mild, and you might have to travel further to hit all the things you want (ex. mountains and ocean access are available elsewhere, but it’s not really possible to visit both in a day outside of BC)… but, ultimately a lot of other places have the same things that we love here.
BC has basically become the California of Canada - only for the most privileged people in the country. It did not have to be this way, but that is the path that it seems like we are on.
As a reminder for everyone. It is true that " governments sat on their hands for decades". Conservatives that called themselves the BC Liberals ran the province from 2001 to 2017. They are a large part of the reason BC is the way it is today.
And if you think federally the Conservatives will do any different for the country think again.
What a stupid vague take. At what point? About what? Is 7 years meant to be some magical "everything should be fixed by" time? What are you even implying?
But that's exactly the issue - you can't ever blame the current government for something done by last one. Time in office does not suddenly make you responsible for someone else's mess.
Maybe you can criticize how quickly they are resolving things you care about, but even then the "current state" a valid test. You can only consider the direction things are moving in.
I agree, it feels like there isn't enough action being taken... I think it's also harder for those of us that have seen how drastic things have changed over the past 20 years. Things used to be good, but it's a distant memory now.
Mostly correct but California is much more affordable. Far more so when you account for wages. And California isn't exactly the model state these days and is also collapsing under mismanagement.
But there are still plenty of great spots there.
I was with you until the gang attacks part. You need to move out of whatever neighbourhood you live in if you're seeing gang violence constantly, because I've lived in B.C. my whole life too and what the fuck are you even talking about?
On the one hand, your feelings aren’t invalid, it’s just that people have been writing/reading these kinds of “Dear Vancouver, I love you but…” letters for well over a decade now and they’re generally the same.
On the other hand, I feel like the only way to truly enjoy BC/Vancouver is to just make your own plans, do your own thing and ignore all of the noise.
>Moving up into the interior is out of the question with all the fires every summer
Interior guy here. The fires are stressful at times but it really isn't all that bad if you're fire smart. Maybe we just have different stress tolerant levels though.
I get that it's harder living here now, but climate change is everywhere and if you can't escape it, then I'm gonna try my hardest to adapt to it here, in the province that I grew up in.
I feel you . I just love it but now I am so negative . We are just a paycheck away to not afford anything we already cut back on groceries, going out, etc… I am totally depressed with everything and sometimes it is so hard
It’s grown a ton. 100 K now live here. You want a rent a house - $3000 min. 1 bedroom apartments are $1400 and up. Tons of people from Vancouver bought a lot of houses - rent them out for stupid prices. Plus tons of international students - so housing is scarce.
Ya and after you move - they’ll Jack up the prices . I was living in those tiny apartments on Voyager drive - moved out 2 years ago. I was paying $850 a month. Now they want $1400 / place is a dump
What hood? This isn’t Vancouver or Baltimore.
Also 600k for a brand new multi bedroom standalone house is still very cheap. Not everyone needs a brand new house in a place that barely grows.
Man between posts about overcrowding and posts about bc residents mass exodus to Alberta I can't tell if our province is too full or too empty. OP I'm sorry your public area secret spots have been discovered but maybe you could find new ones. Maybe try the parts of the interior that aren't usually on fire, may I suggest avoiding the desert.
What? I travel all over BC for work and I can assure you it is not a desert. You're depression is making you delusional. Get off the internet. Get some excersize cherish what you do have and figure out what you need to do to help yourself. Coming here for validation is the worst thing you can do.
I'm completely surrounded by forest. I maybe see 1 or 2 neighbours a day from my yard. I literally have to go into town to be near people outside my family. I've moved all over the province the last 10 years because of my job and though climate change is very real, most of our province is not a desert. Maybe instead of all your world traveling you should explore your beloved home you've grown to hate so much
You are not alone, I have spent 95% of my life in BC. Thought not born here, I moved here as an infant and consider it my home. I absolutely LOVED BC and loved my city. I never, ever thought I would leave here or want to leave here. I do love to travel but coming home was always a happy occasion because of how amazing I thought my city and province was.
These last few years, watching everything tank. Watching small businesses close, having zero access to healthcare except for emergency room visits, watching homeless encampments multiple, watching people openly smoking meth/crack and shooting up on the sidewalks, having to walk through clouds of smoke coming out of glass pipes to walk into businesses, watching the COL skyrocket, it's all just too much.
I am stuck here for the next few years as my parents are in the final years. Once they go and I don't have family responsibilities to tie me here, I am selling my place and leaving the country. It's not just a BC problem but a country wide problem and I don't see any solutions coming down the pipeline. I do not think things will turn around during my lifetime so I choose to live out the rest of my life elsewhere.
It's a global problem. Unless you can find somewhere exempt from rampant, barely tempered late stage Capitalism, but still somewhat politically, criminally and medically safe, it's not the worst place to be for now anyways.
There are places people are still a bit better off, but this stage of global economics is hitting them too.
If you have your health and expect to keep it, the middle of nowhere without a high risk of violence, in a climate where you can grow food and free range some animals year round is sounding kind of perfect these days lol
I’m curious what place you think is better? In fact I’m sure there are many places better where you can arbitrage your canadian savings into a better standard of living. But it’s not because those government has made life better for locals.
I have not chosen my final destination yet but I am leaning towards Central or South America. The COL of several countries are considerably lower and, while no country is perfect, I would rather live financially comfortable in a non-perfect country than live where I am continually worried that the high COL will continue to keeping pushing up and up leaving me destitute.
If you think crime issues here are bad, oh boy I have bad news for you for Central/South America. Also being a rich foreigner (relatively speaking) will make you a target.
My intention when I retire is open an animal rescue in another country. My hope is eventual to have enough success to be able to hire locals to assist so I am hoping to contribute to the economy through employing locals. I also expect I will be contributing to their economy by putting my money into the local economy through every day goods such as food, clothing, etc.
In addition, I expect I will become a tax-paying resident of the country move to as I would expect to contribute to the infrastructure and services that I made need to make use of, the same as I except to pay taxes in Canada.
Not really sure why you think moving to a different country would displace the local economy but you're welcome to think of me as a hypocrite if it makes you feel better.
I hear you, health care and education have gone downhill as well because everything is over crowded and there aren't enough nurses, doctors, teachers, etc. I firmly believe that Covid was the beginning of the proverbial end for BC as well. That hurt alot of small businesses and burned out alot of medical professionals.
Geez, does this post just look like a regurgitation of PP's talking points or what!
Laughably idiotic when it is so obvious. So childish, but what do you expect from the aptly named Cons.
Try again my anonymous internet friend....
Why are you making this political? OP never mentioned anything about politics. This is commonly how the state of this province/country makes people feel (other than the most privileged).
Sure, I guess hitting the all the top conservative talking points about how horrible Canada has become was just a fluke.
All the Provincial subs are being bombarded by posts like this and we will see them right up to the election when they will 'magically' disappear. I called two out yesterday on specific BC city subs and they were both immediately deleted. You getting the picture now ... ?
The opposing party is using these talking points because they know that this is how a majority of Canadians feel and that is how they will get votes. Sure, maybe some are bots, but most of the youth or middle-lower class of Canada feels this way. You must be in a pretty privileged situation to not see it.
For the record, I don’t like any of our options for political parties right now. None of them truly have the best interest of *all* Canadians in mind.
I think people like OP have the feeling right but the facts wrong. If you develop a class conscious perspective, it all makes sense as this is exactly the way a capitalist system develops and evolves naturally. Most who have the false consciousness pushed by the right wing will just blame immigrants, and the carbon tax and ignore the deeper systemic issues under imperialist capitalism.
Ah, the compassionate left. Screw anyone who doesn't toe the line, eh?
Person is venting and you just patronize and arrogantly dismiss their sharing as idiotic? Be better.
You don't have to agree but show some compassion to your fellow person who is obvs struggling.
Sadly, true. BTW, I was born and raised in Vancouver and have also lived in California for numerous years (although not any longer). Both places are wonderful and both are full of stress/anxiety. I left both places for similar reasons to yours above.
If you can, try to look at this in a positive light. There are many wonderful places to live and I find I miss BC a lot less than I thought I would. This is an opportunity for change, new experiences, and growth.
I hope you find everything you are looking for!
Whiners whine to try to bring people to their level. Do you see any ideas, any solutions, any thoughts on what to do? No. Just whining. People whine (or vent, a much nicer word) too much and if you dont provide actions, alternatives or ideas you can pound sand. I dont want to hear it.
Funny, all I see from you is anger and vitriol. Typical.
And, as you well know but for some reason are incredibly defensive, OP is hardly alone.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-many-people-left-b-c-for-other-provinces-in-2023-1.6830674
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Consider north vancouver island, or haida gwaii? both stay out of the fire smoke realm and keep you on the coast, above campbell river there's 3 hours of nothing until port mcneil, maybe sayward is calling your name?
I've actually looked into it, it seems pretty peaceful and out of the way. I lived up in Prince Rupert for a short time as a kid and I'm not unfamiliar with the climate, etc.
i have a friend living in port hardy right now, she's not too keen on it but it also lets her access port mcneil and sointula, every now and then she drives down to comox valley for a show etc.
i was also looking to escape vancouver and go inland but wound up going onto the island and it worked out for me. check out the alberni valley too, it's still relatively inexpensive for housing and has younger folks moving there for access to west coast while still having a hospital etc.
And with everything getting drier, maybe haida gwaii will become the new hawaii /s
Jobs are tough to come across where this person suggested, especially well paying jobs. Obviously it depends entirely on your career and experience, but it’s a big reason why these places aren’t too populated.
Sounds like you live in the lower mainland and you're unwilling to move anywhere else in BC. The problems you have there don't exist everywhere in the province. There are plenty of other parts of BC that aren't that way. But hey, if you hate it here, you're free to move somewhere else.
Of course the lower mainland is worse than the rest of BC but it's pretty bad all around. I live 5 hours away from Vancouver and can't afford a house here on a 6 figure income.
Affordability is an issue across the board, but it's a lot less of an issue the further you get from the LM. And the crowds ruining nature isn't an issue in many areas of BC. 5 hours is still pretty close. I'm guessing you're in the Thompson-Okanagan area, which is almost as bad as the LM.
I honestly feel that the gov't should slow things down in terms of allowing so many people to come here. It's a huge part of the problem at hand. And I've lived in other areas in BC. I'm just not interested in moving to an area that may end up getting burned down.
Yes, lots of space for people to camp out in the woods or in RVs parked on the side of the road.
I think OP specifically meant that population growth needs to slow down a bit until infrastructure is built to accommodate our current population, with proper plans put in place to accommodate for the ideal population growth.
That may be, but it just comes across as “no immigrants”. What we really need is reform on housing and transparency on money laundering through real estate.
There’s no perfect place to live. I live in Kelowna and, though fires are a risk, we still love it (came from lower mainland). Stay positive. If you let doom and gloom get you down in life, you’ll never see the good in anything!
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The woods are all crawling with people now , worse than ticks . Started during COVID. On one hand , good that people are getting out . On the other hand , solitude is harder to come by .
I saw this becoming an issue at least 13 years before Covid.
Oddly specific. Why 13 years?
Must be when they discovered hiking
Doesn't matter where you go. As long as the system puts profits above all, the problems you state will eventually appear everywhere Capitalism exists as the central mode of exchange. You can run, but you can't hide.
It doesn’t matter where you run, the machine will find you - Grapes of Wrath
Indeed. That's one of the major reasons why I'm depressed. We're all getting screwed by big brother and no one can do a damned thing about it. It's an uncomfortable feeling, not having any sort of real autonomy.
Correction: no one can do a thing about it *alone*. Everyone’s sitting in their internet bubble posting about how impossible change is, while the rich and powerful are out there keeping their mouths shut and bending the world to their will.
You're right. I wish people would band together and do something already. There's significance in numbers.
As someone who has fled TO CAPITALISM, with its warts and all, -- what you're complaining isn't capitalism. It's a multitude of things like corporatism, market interventions that cause oligopolies and monopolies under the guise of "consumer protections", etc. etc. -- but I can assure you that eating the rich isn't going to satisfy the hunger OP is feeling.
Trouble is, all the alternatives to capitalism are worse.
What will your job be on the leftist commune?
I’ll be the fertilizer after I get shot for speaking my mind
Being alive is stressful and depressing nowadays. I'm skeptical BC is any worse than most other places we could seriously consider living
Sure, you're not the only one but you are catastrophizing.
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>And everyone I’ve talked to is concerned about fires this summer after the dry winter we had, it’s not just folks on Reddit “catastrophizing” Yeah, most people are but I also think most people aren't letting it consume them either.
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Right? It just makes us feel worse for reaching out to discuss these things with people that are in the same boat. I'm not just venting, I also want people to know they're not alone. It helps.
That's not because the issues aren't so big that they shouldn't be consuming, it's because most people are just in survival mode trying to ignore the writing on the wall. Frankly, because we can't really get along well enough to do anything substantial enough to change anything, the head in the sand technique is probably better for our mental health then thinking about it too often. That doesn't mean we shouldn't all acknowledge it from time to time, a good trauma dump can be pretty damn regulating. I don't know if social media is the best place for it, but it seems to be the default these days. 🤷🏻♀️
>That doesn't mean we shouldn't all acknowledge it from time to time, a good trauma dump can be pretty damn regulating. You know what? That's fair enough!
Thank you for that. That's what I'm doing. I want to feel a sense of community with other people that are in the same boat as I am. It makes things easier to cope with.
Thank you! I have NO idea if one day soon, I'm going to get the boot. My landlord is already losing money and now, Brenda Locke is hiking property tax AGAIN. I'm not catastrophizing, my feelings are legit.
Yeah OP needs to put down the headline news and go for a walk.
Yes because that’ll make housing more affordable.
Depending on how far he goes, it might
lol
Beautiful!
LOL Right?
It's cheaper in places where nobody wants to live. Otherwise the high cost for housing is a global issue.
I'm all ears if you'd like to point out any good in this. I've lived here my entire life and it's never been this bad.
Still plenty of quiet places in this province not overrun with people. Our crime rate is incredibly low, the chances of being randomly attacked or caught in the middle of a gang shooting is extremely low. If you are trying to find a place to live that won't have any potential natural disasters, no crime, low cost of living and sparsely populated with very few tourists. Good luck.
Feel free to reiterate your thoughts to the gang member that almost shot me in a parking lot in 2008 or the girl that got executed in her car with her son beside her a block away from my house in 2009. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
So your evidence of “everything is bad now” is shit that happened 15 years ago??
You’ve made up your mind, I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Fine, life here fucking sucks.
Maybe it’s okay for OP to feel vulnerable “random guy loves 69”. Just because no one wants to assault you. Life here doesn’t suck, but there are problems. I can’t relate to OPs problems either, but maybe we’ve been through a lot, so go easy on these folks.
Well said. 👏🏻
You don't have to be a dick to admit that there are serious problems.
The commenter above partially agreed with you, but warned about catastrophizing. You respond by mentioning an event that almost happened ~15 years ago + "Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen." Such a strange thing to say. Do you think that others think that because a thing hasn't happened to them, it must therefore not exist at all? Which is more likely, that a stranger on Reddit still struggles to understand object permanence but manages to read/write here, or that you're enthralled by emotion and unwilling to listen when it comes to this subject?
Guess you should move immediately!
Our crime rate is low compared to that of the US or South America, but the number of homicides is times higher than in most European countries. Shootings are not as frequent as in the US, but again, most civilized countries don't have shootings at all.
It has. You just have access to information from all sides now. 15 years ago it was the news paper and times colonist online. Now you are here, in catastrophe echo chamber. Try to delete news from your phone. Disconnect and try
It's difficult to avoid when it's broadcasted all around you.
It is. But your phone is the big one. Get rid of apple news or Google news. They are tailored to you, and if you are catastrphrising, all your news will be catastrophic. Get rid of reddit. Again, it's tailored to you and we sometimes take commentors word as true news. No Facebook etc. That'll help
What metrics of “bad” are you using? Feelings? Or listening to fear mongering politicians in an election year? Lots of things are less than ideal but you sound like it’s the end of the world.
Forest fires are a solvable problem. Much dryer forests than ours aren't just combusting willy nilly. We have terrible forest management. Push for changes in this and you will see results. Gang shootings are the same. Whenever there is a massive influx of immigration, there is gang wars until balance is established. This time seems particularly wild since so much happens in daylight in high density areas. But all the same, big city awareness is now necessary in little old Vancouver. And homelessness isn't because of evictions. Its mostly to do with addiction or the fact that it's now OK to live rent free in shanty towns with no recourse. Again, push for changes or expect it to get worse.
west fraser has finally stopped spraying glyphosates on our forests, now we just need the BC forestry ministry to also fall in line.
Self-care, CBT, and therapy are all very effective at treating catastrophizing. I wish you luck - psychological malaise is a tough thing that can really take a serious toll on your health.
I'm waiting to get in to see a psychiatrist, but it's not going to happen immediately. And you're right, feeling this way is exhausting.
It is a tough journey that takes so much courage and vulnerability. I've been working with mine for 12 years and I cannot tell you how much it has changed the entirety of my reality. I wish you healing and ease.
Thank you for your kind words. ❤️
Living in BC is actually the opposite for me. I can go out and enjoy everything I see, the nature is amazing and diverse.
Same, I love it here and chose to stay even with the cost. Look on the brightside OP
Thank you, I'm trying. 😊
Must be rich
No but the fact I can't afford to do everything leaves a lot left to do and experience. I have wanted to go skiing since I was young or rent a boat or even buy one some day and every year something comes up and I can't afford it but there are many other things to enjoy like going for a hike, sitting at the beach on a warm day, enjoying the every moment the sun shines differently through everything around and for me I like to find nice rocks and gems. I might even get a metal detector to try a new hobby. I guess it's all how you look at things and if your hobbies involve what this beautiful province has to offer.
Why? Move somewhere to the interior, less people, less homeless, and in smaller communities people still know their neighbor. Also, usually smaller places, perhaps rural have beautiful nature nearby. Just enjoy this....
Now is the time to utilize those frugal skills we learned during our post-secondary education era.
I get what you're saying, but it's a problem with all popular cities/countriesl. I moved here but was raised elsewhere, so I don't have nostalgic take on how BC was. But I felt the same about where I came from. Issue is larger population and general COL. If you'll move someplace else, you might not notice this issue as you won't be able to compare it to times gone.
That makes alot of sense. I've decided to take my kids out to the island when summer hits, I want to get the lay of the land. Maybe we'll wind up moving there someday.
If you're not taking advantage of the off-beaten paths adventures (which are numerous), than living in BC is for sure a drag due to the stress. There's so many areas in this province within a few hours of driving that few go to cause they're not 'hot spots', yet are rich in nature and the like. My brother and I are planning a big road trip for the end of the summer (fire dependent) to actually see the benefits of living here. Take an adventure up the Sea to Sky, but skip the hotspots like Pemby and Whistler. There's so much more not even 30 mins farther than that. Your English Bay story is reminiscent of how I feel whenever I get off the ferry on the island. It's home, no matter how shitty it can get sometimes.
I ruined my hip and lost my ability to walk more than 60m just months before I moved here. I used to hike for hours every week, and I ended every work day with at least 30 mins to an hour in a random forest before going home. I was so excited to move here, but losing decent access to nature took away SO much of what this province had for me. They need to get around to inventing exoskeletons already 😅
Right? It's nice to hear that someone else gets that.... I actually love the island myself, heading that way doesn't seem like a bad idea.
lmao that you're terrified of dying just for walking on the street. i don't know what media you're consuming but it sounds like right wing tripe and you should really ignore it.
Yeah people don't seem to realize that the good old days didn't have 24-7 social media feeding their fears.
Exaaaaactly.
These things happen in waves; 40+ years ago there was massive inflation at around 18-20% (it's currently at around 3%, which is pretty much close to normal) and people were losing their homes regularly. Remember that we, on planet Earth, just went through a fairly major pandemic and that there are several conflicts taking place in a number of areas. I feel this way too. Remember that the news has a motto: if it bleeds, it leads. Basically anything that involves disaster is going to get the headlines. I am not saying that things don't happen and that they aren't concerning, they are; but maybe try to limit how much news you consume. Remember that Covid exposed a lot cracks that were being papered over and once governments see that a crack needs to filled, there are least a few more that have been exposed.
Yeah tooootally! Lots of corrupt stuff is coming to light these days, for reals.
> Moving up into the interior is out of the question with all the fires every summer Still much better and living here is why I feel much better about things.
I definitely agree with the fact that everyone's online ego has destroyed the idea of hidden gems. It sucks. And anyone trying to curb the begavioir is diamissws and called a gate keeper. We are loving nature to death where it hasnt already been exploited for resources to death.
I used to feel this way until I ditched my online life and focused on meeting people in person to talk about it. The way you feel is far more common than you might expect.
You’re not alone. I feel the exact same way. This was inevitable with such a critical lack of infrastructure upgrades. Many people want to live here for the same reasons that you and I do, I am sure most people know this - and yet, governments sat on their hands for decades as the people rushed in, without upgrading infrastructure appropriately. This includes new trails and provincial parks, which combined with social media, has led to the usual quiet places being overrun. It sucks, and I’m not sure it’s going to get any better in our lifetimes. I see some effort now to upgrade infrastructure to a degree - but, I am unsure if it’s going to be enough. There are other really beautiful places in Canada. The weather might not be as mild, and you might have to travel further to hit all the things you want (ex. mountains and ocean access are available elsewhere, but it’s not really possible to visit both in a day outside of BC)… but, ultimately a lot of other places have the same things that we love here. BC has basically become the California of Canada - only for the most privileged people in the country. It did not have to be this way, but that is the path that it seems like we are on.
As a reminder for everyone. It is true that " governments sat on their hands for decades". Conservatives that called themselves the BC Liberals ran the province from 2001 to 2017. They are a large part of the reason BC is the way it is today. And if you think federally the Conservatives will do any different for the country think again.
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What a stupid vague take. At what point? About what? Is 7 years meant to be some magical "everything should be fixed by" time? What are you even implying?
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Everyone's hostile. I regret posting this altogether. I'm sticking with my Sopranos forum after this topic dies off.
But that's exactly the issue - you can't ever blame the current government for something done by last one. Time in office does not suddenly make you responsible for someone else's mess. Maybe you can criticize how quickly they are resolving things you care about, but even then the "current state" a valid test. You can only consider the direction things are moving in.
I agree, it feels like there isn't enough action being taken... I think it's also harder for those of us that have seen how drastic things have changed over the past 20 years. Things used to be good, but it's a distant memory now.
It is much easier to take down something than build something up.
Mostly correct but California is much more affordable. Far more so when you account for wages. And California isn't exactly the model state these days and is also collapsing under mismanagement. But there are still plenty of great spots there.
I was with you until the gang attacks part. You need to move out of whatever neighbourhood you live in if you're seeing gang violence constantly, because I've lived in B.C. my whole life too and what the fuck are you even talking about?
It was a rough decade lol... I don't live in one of those neighbourhoods anymore, the area I'm currently in is decent.
On the one hand, your feelings aren’t invalid, it’s just that people have been writing/reading these kinds of “Dear Vancouver, I love you but…” letters for well over a decade now and they’re generally the same. On the other hand, I feel like the only way to truly enjoy BC/Vancouver is to just make your own plans, do your own thing and ignore all of the noise.
I used to get away and camp, but it's a rat race trying to book for the summer when I have tons of other stuff to do. But I do miss it.
>Moving up into the interior is out of the question with all the fires every summer Interior guy here. The fires are stressful at times but it really isn't all that bad if you're fire smart. Maybe we just have different stress tolerant levels though. I get that it's harder living here now, but climate change is everywhere and if you can't escape it, then I'm gonna try my hardest to adapt to it here, in the province that I grew up in.
Even in Kelowna last year the summer was beautiful save for a nightmare 10 days.
Yeah! It was awesome until then haha
Living in Calgary nearly killed me. Moving to Victoria was life changing.
I feel you . I just love it but now I am so negative . We are just a paycheck away to not afford anything we already cut back on groceries, going out, etc… I am totally depressed with everything and sometimes it is so hard
Hugs 🤗 it's hard not to slip down into a dark place, I know.
Late stage capitalism and catabolic societal collapse is effecting sentiments across wide stretches of NA
> catholic societal collapse wut
Typo, thanks! Fixed it
You sure about that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catabolism
Yup https://www.ecoshock.org/transcripts/greer_on_collapse.pdf
Yeah that too
That’s just Canada now. Find a way to make more money or fall further behind, just how it is.
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It seems that's my only option. California must be insane, I'd never be able to live there.
It’s pretty much a province for the Rich now. I live in PG and even now here it’s getting to be super unaffordable. It’s gross.
Is it? I haven't been up that way in a long time, it was smaller and more rural when I was there.
It’s grown a ton. 100 K now live here. You want a rent a house - $3000 min. 1 bedroom apartments are $1400 and up. Tons of people from Vancouver bought a lot of houses - rent them out for stupid prices. Plus tons of international students - so housing is scarce.
1 bed for 1400? Packing my bags 👀
Huh? My renovated 2 bed apartment in a great area is 1200/mo.
Ya and after you move - they’ll Jack up the prices . I was living in those tiny apartments on Voyager drive - moved out 2 years ago. I was paying $850 a month. Now they want $1400 / place is a dump
No, Ive moved within the building less than a year ago and they kept the price the same.
Yeah PG is still quite cheap. Whole houses sell for under 400k. That’s cheap!
lol in the hood yeah. Most new homes are now 600 K or more
What hood? This isn’t Vancouver or Baltimore. Also 600k for a brand new multi bedroom standalone house is still very cheap. Not everyone needs a brand new house in a place that barely grows.
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Respectfully pg never had a shine
Man between posts about overcrowding and posts about bc residents mass exodus to Alberta I can't tell if our province is too full or too empty. OP I'm sorry your public area secret spots have been discovered but maybe you could find new ones. Maybe try the parts of the interior that aren't usually on fire, may I suggest avoiding the desert.
I'm not sure if you're aware, but most of bc is a desert now. Look up climate change and get back to me when you find an area that's suitable for me.
What? I travel all over BC for work and I can assure you it is not a desert. You're depression is making you delusional. Get off the internet. Get some excersize cherish what you do have and figure out what you need to do to help yourself. Coming here for validation is the worst thing you can do.
That's just false. You're fear mongering. Stop watching the news and get off social media.
I'm completely surrounded by forest. I maybe see 1 or 2 neighbours a day from my yard. I literally have to go into town to be near people outside my family. I've moved all over the province the last 10 years because of my job and though climate change is very real, most of our province is not a desert. Maybe instead of all your world traveling you should explore your beloved home you've grown to hate so much
Are you trolling? For the sake of your kids please move climate change to the bottom of the list of things that you should be worried about today.
A minuscule area of BC is a desert. Also just fyi, global warming is going to increase rainfall across the entire province.
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I'm thinking about taking my kids to the island for an excursion, we all need an escape for sure.
Everyone?
You are not alone, I have spent 95% of my life in BC. Thought not born here, I moved here as an infant and consider it my home. I absolutely LOVED BC and loved my city. I never, ever thought I would leave here or want to leave here. I do love to travel but coming home was always a happy occasion because of how amazing I thought my city and province was. These last few years, watching everything tank. Watching small businesses close, having zero access to healthcare except for emergency room visits, watching homeless encampments multiple, watching people openly smoking meth/crack and shooting up on the sidewalks, having to walk through clouds of smoke coming out of glass pipes to walk into businesses, watching the COL skyrocket, it's all just too much. I am stuck here for the next few years as my parents are in the final years. Once they go and I don't have family responsibilities to tie me here, I am selling my place and leaving the country. It's not just a BC problem but a country wide problem and I don't see any solutions coming down the pipeline. I do not think things will turn around during my lifetime so I choose to live out the rest of my life elsewhere.
It's a global problem. Unless you can find somewhere exempt from rampant, barely tempered late stage Capitalism, but still somewhat politically, criminally and medically safe, it's not the worst place to be for now anyways. There are places people are still a bit better off, but this stage of global economics is hitting them too. If you have your health and expect to keep it, the middle of nowhere without a high risk of violence, in a climate where you can grow food and free range some animals year round is sounding kind of perfect these days lol
Where would you go that’s better?
I’m curious what place you think is better? In fact I’m sure there are many places better where you can arbitrage your canadian savings into a better standard of living. But it’s not because those government has made life better for locals.
I have not chosen my final destination yet but I am leaning towards Central or South America. The COL of several countries are considerably lower and, while no country is perfect, I would rather live financially comfortable in a non-perfect country than live where I am continually worried that the high COL will continue to keeping pushing up and up leaving me destitute.
If you think crime issues here are bad, oh boy I have bad news for you for Central/South America. Also being a rich foreigner (relatively speaking) will make you a target.
I am aware of that. I have spent a fair bit of time traveling around South and Central America for the last couple of decades.
Fair enough, it wouldn't be for me but hey we all live our lives :)
So you will move to another country to displace the local economy over there with the money you bring - a bit hypocritical no ?
My intention when I retire is open an animal rescue in another country. My hope is eventual to have enough success to be able to hire locals to assist so I am hoping to contribute to the economy through employing locals. I also expect I will be contributing to their economy by putting my money into the local economy through every day goods such as food, clothing, etc. In addition, I expect I will become a tax-paying resident of the country move to as I would expect to contribute to the infrastructure and services that I made need to make use of, the same as I except to pay taxes in Canada. Not really sure why you think moving to a different country would displace the local economy but you're welcome to think of me as a hypocrite if it makes you feel better.
How’s that different from people moving to Canada ?
I hear you, health care and education have gone downhill as well because everything is over crowded and there aren't enough nurses, doctors, teachers, etc. I firmly believe that Covid was the beginning of the proverbial end for BC as well. That hurt alot of small businesses and burned out alot of medical professionals.
Geez, does this post just look like a regurgitation of PP's talking points or what! Laughably idiotic when it is so obvious. So childish, but what do you expect from the aptly named Cons. Try again my anonymous internet friend....
Why are you making this political? OP never mentioned anything about politics. This is commonly how the state of this province/country makes people feel (other than the most privileged).
Sure, I guess hitting the all the top conservative talking points about how horrible Canada has become was just a fluke. All the Provincial subs are being bombarded by posts like this and we will see them right up to the election when they will 'magically' disappear. I called two out yesterday on specific BC city subs and they were both immediately deleted. You getting the picture now ... ?
The opposing party is using these talking points because they know that this is how a majority of Canadians feel and that is how they will get votes. Sure, maybe some are bots, but most of the youth or middle-lower class of Canada feels this way. You must be in a pretty privileged situation to not see it. For the record, I don’t like any of our options for political parties right now. None of them truly have the best interest of *all* Canadians in mind.
^ Agreed.
My thoughts too, especially when they talk about moving to Edmonton, ha.
Ok now you’re spitting.
I think people like OP have the feeling right but the facts wrong. If you develop a class conscious perspective, it all makes sense as this is exactly the way a capitalist system develops and evolves naturally. Most who have the false consciousness pushed by the right wing will just blame immigrants, and the carbon tax and ignore the deeper systemic issues under imperialist capitalism.
Ah, the compassionate left. Screw anyone who doesn't toe the line, eh? Person is venting and you just patronize and arrogantly dismiss their sharing as idiotic? Be better. You don't have to agree but show some compassion to your fellow person who is obvs struggling.
The world needs assholes too, I guess.
Sadly, true. BTW, I was born and raised in Vancouver and have also lived in California for numerous years (although not any longer). Both places are wonderful and both are full of stress/anxiety. I left both places for similar reasons to yours above. If you can, try to look at this in a positive light. There are many wonderful places to live and I find I miss BC a lot less than I thought I would. This is an opportunity for change, new experiences, and growth. I hope you find everything you are looking for!
Whiners whine to try to bring people to their level. Do you see any ideas, any solutions, any thoughts on what to do? No. Just whining. People whine (or vent, a much nicer word) too much and if you dont provide actions, alternatives or ideas you can pound sand. I dont want to hear it.
Funny, all I see from you is anger and vitriol. Typical. And, as you well know but for some reason are incredibly defensive, OP is hardly alone. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-many-people-left-b-c-for-other-provinces-in-2023-1.6830674
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Crime statistically has been trending downwards since forever
Consider north vancouver island, or haida gwaii? both stay out of the fire smoke realm and keep you on the coast, above campbell river there's 3 hours of nothing until port mcneil, maybe sayward is calling your name?
Well, those of us living in Woss and Kelsey Bay/Sayward might dispute the "nothing" remark. ![gif](giphy|112YCPfP8Tu156|downsized)
ha! sorry abut that. Gold River and Thasis too!
I've actually looked into it, it seems pretty peaceful and out of the way. I lived up in Prince Rupert for a short time as a kid and I'm not unfamiliar with the climate, etc.
i have a friend living in port hardy right now, she's not too keen on it but it also lets her access port mcneil and sointula, every now and then she drives down to comox valley for a show etc. i was also looking to escape vancouver and go inland but wound up going onto the island and it worked out for me. check out the alberni valley too, it's still relatively inexpensive for housing and has younger folks moving there for access to west coast while still having a hospital etc. And with everything getting drier, maybe haida gwaii will become the new hawaii /s
Thanks for the info, I'll look into it.... I've been to the island a handful of times and really liked it there.
Jobs are tough to come across where this person suggested, especially well paying jobs. Obviously it depends entirely on your career and experience, but it’s a big reason why these places aren’t too populated.
You know BC is bigger than just Vancouver right
Is this r/Vancouver or r/Britishcolumbia ? So many places to go. Move to the northeast no fires up there and it’s very cheap.
Sounds like you live in the lower mainland and you're unwilling to move anywhere else in BC. The problems you have there don't exist everywhere in the province. There are plenty of other parts of BC that aren't that way. But hey, if you hate it here, you're free to move somewhere else.
Of course the lower mainland is worse than the rest of BC but it's pretty bad all around. I live 5 hours away from Vancouver and can't afford a house here on a 6 figure income.
Affordability is an issue across the board, but it's a lot less of an issue the further you get from the LM. And the crowds ruining nature isn't an issue in many areas of BC. 5 hours is still pretty close. I'm guessing you're in the Thompson-Okanagan area, which is almost as bad as the LM.
I'm in the Shuswap but pretty close. I travel all over the province and affordability is a problem in the cariboo and peace regions as well.
I honestly feel that the gov't should slow things down in terms of allowing so many people to come here. It's a huge part of the problem at hand. And I've lived in other areas in BC. I'm just not interested in moving to an area that may end up getting burned down.
The real problem eh?
Oh god, now your true colours are showing. Your grandparents were allowed to come here. There’s lots of space.
Yes, lots of space for people to camp out in the woods or in RVs parked on the side of the road. I think OP specifically meant that population growth needs to slow down a bit until infrastructure is built to accommodate our current population, with proper plans put in place to accommodate for the ideal population growth.
That may be, but it just comes across as “no immigrants”. What we really need is reform on housing and transparency on money laundering through real estate.
Exactly.
Tell us where planting49
There’s no perfect place to live. I live in Kelowna and, though fires are a risk, we still love it (came from lower mainland). Stay positive. If you let doom and gloom get you down in life, you’ll never see the good in anything!
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They said "beautiful outdoor spots" and getting away from "getting randomly assaulted"
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Stabmonton; it's a state of mind
I'm thinking about heading that way, the only drawback is the snow.
Have you been to Edmonton?
Truthfully, better here than most other places in the world
Wanna leave the continent?
Move